Elderberry Syrup

I am constantly fighting the fight with my immune system since I am a student surrounded by germs at school and a nanny usually around two sick kids all day long. This means any natural immune system booster I can take is being taken daily. Recently, I have been seeing Elderberry in every form; cough drop, gummy vitamins, tea, syrup etc. Since Elderberries are know to fight the flu and cold viruses, I wanted to introduce them to my diet, so I decided to make my own syrup. A friend shared a recipe with me to make my own. Its super simple, less expensive than buying it at the store, and takes only a half an hour to make!

What you will need:

4oz of dried elderberries

1 cinnamon stick

5 cloves

1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger

2 cups of water

2 cups of honey

In one medium size pot add elderberries, cinnamon stick, 5 cloves, grated ginger, and two cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. (takes about 4 minutes) Turn down heat to a simmer and leave covered for another 25 minutes. Strain everything in a bowl and mash with spoon to get extra juice out of the berries. Add your honey. Let cool for 10 minutes and store in a mason jar in the refrigerator. The syrup lasts for up to a month!